Interesting evidence, but murder trial flops

Ian Haylock Jr.

In the Corozal District, a four-year-old murder trial ended in the Supreme Court on Monday and the accused killer walked away a free man. Taxi driver, Eduardo Samos, was shot in the face and left to die in a cane field on February thirteenth, 2008. When police located his missing vehicle eight days later, it was being driven in Belize City by Water Lane resident, twenty-three year old Ian Haylock Junior. Samos’ wife also called his phone and it was answered by someone named Kareem Grant, who said he bought the phone from Haylock. But on Monday, Justice Dennis Hanomansingh, upheld a no case submission made by Haylock’s attorney, Simeon Sampson. Sampson argued that the prosecution’s case was built solely on substantial evidence since a caution statement from the accused was deemed as inadmissible evidence. In that caution statement, Haylock reportedly told police that he sold weed and that Samos would transport the drugs for him.  He also told police that he got the vehicle from another man, who had asked him to license and insure it in Belize City. But Haylock claimed that he was beaten by two police officers and forced to give the statement. Since the prosecutor had no other concrete evidence, the jury was ordered to formally find Haylock not guilty of Murder.